Protect Parkland at Flushing Meadows-Corona Park

Flushing Meadows-Corona Park (FMCP) is threatened by corporate interests who want this valuable public asset for their own private gain at the expense of the largely working class, immigrant population of Queens. Currently private interests are lobbying city and state officials for rent-free public parkland.

The three proposed plans include:

- A 1.4 million square foot MALL on parkland - would be largest in NYC - 2 new stadiums and concert venues on parkland - Several parking garages and new roads inside the park - 13,000 additional parking spaces in the park and in its surroundings

Most alarming, these three proposals are concurrent, yet there has been no public acknowledgment by the city or any of the applicants of the potential cumulative impacts of these multi-billion dollar demolition and construction projects.

FMCP is the largest park in Queens. Its users are overwhelmingly working class, immigrants and people of color. The park has been poorly funded for years--with budgets far below Central Park or Prospect Park. Currently neither the USTA nor the Wilpon Family (owner of NY Mets) pay any money for the specific upkeep or improvement of Flushing Meadows Corona Park--despite making hundreds of millions in revenue on public land.

About the Three Main Proposals:

- The NY Mets owners, Wilpon Family, proposes to use dozens of acres of parkland land west of CitiField to build the largest shopping mall in New York City--1.4 million square feet. The Wilpons do not intend to pay for the land nor would it replace the parkland. The city is attempting to circumvent the ULURP process by claiming that this project was approved as part of the Willets Point rezoning in 2008. The Fairness Coalition of Queens rejects this attempt to minimize public input.

- The United States Tennis Association seeks to construct two new tennis stadiums, the alienation of additional parkland, and building two parking garages while drastically hampering access to the park by moving a road. The USTA does not intend to pay for the land nor would it replace the parkland.

- An undisclosed owner for a potential Major League Soccer franchise hopes to build a 25,000 seat stadium and concert venue, and parking lot in the heart of the park requiring alienation of 13+ acres of parkland, the dislocation of tens of thousands of parks users especially local soccer players, and substantially increasing automobile and truck traffic within the park and surrounding neighborhoods.

This petition was delivered to:

New York City Mayor Michael BloombergMayor Michael Bloomberg

New York State SenateState Senator Jose Peralta

Queens Borough PresidentBorought President Helen Marshall

1 more decision maker...

New York State AssemblyState Assemblyman Francisco Moya

Letter to

New York City Mayor Michael BloombergMayor Michael Bloomberg

New York State SenateState Senator Jose Peralta

Queens Borough PresidentBorought President Helen Marshall

New York State AssemblyState Assemblyman Francisco Moya

Dear Mayor Bloomberg,

Please protect parkland at Flushing Meadows-Corona Park!

Flushing Meadows-Corona Park is threatened by corporate interests who want this valuable public asset for their own private gain at the expense of the largely working class, immigrant population of Queens.

We ask that all new uses or proposed redesigns in the area of Flushing Meadows Corona Park are undertaken in a fair and responsible manner to include a process for local resident and community stake holder input.